Dil Se Dil Tak - A Meeting Point

Check out the forums running online on saregamapa. On second thoughts, don’t bother with them. There are a few forums running on the web about Saregamapa - all infested by teens from across the world, who can’t differentiate sa from re - and yet everyday would keep screaming about what singing is. These are these 19 year olds from Toronto to Timbucktoo - who simply detest the fact that Raja Hasan continues to get the maximum number of votes. The public is an ass - is their popular comment. Oh yeah, what are you? They fail to understand why the Amanats, Mussarats and Aneeks can’t get as many votes as the nothing-special Raja does. They obviously do not understand public voting. Neither do they respect then. And of course they haven’t heared of William Hung.

The William Hung Story.
For newbies, check out the above link. William Hung was an American college student who gained fame in early 2004 as a result of his off-key audition performance of Ricky Martin’s hit song “She Bangs” on the third season of the television series American Idol. He was the final auditioner on the January 27, 2004 installment, the coup de grâce of an hour-long episode that showcased other would-be pop stars, mostly lacking in talent.

“Um, I really like music. It is very good. I want to make music my living,” said Hung, before he started singing and dancing to Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs”, showing an utter lack of vocal talent. As judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul tried to restrain their laughter, judge Simon Cowell dismissed Hung’s performance, remarking “You can’t sing, you can’t dance, so what do you want me to say?”, to which Hung replied, “Um, I already gave my best, and I have no regrets at all.” Jackson and Abdul applauded his positive attitude, with Abdul remarking, “That’s the best attitude yet.” Hung’s response to Cowell’s criticism starkly contrasts with the often confrontational rejoinders of other contestants. Hung added, “…you know, I have no professional training of singing and dancing,” eliciting mock surprise from Cowell, who replied, “No? Well this is the surprise of the century.” Hung was not admitted to the next round.

Check out the William Hung video

Hung rapidly gained a cult following. A William Hung fan site recorded over four million hits within its first week. An online petition to get Hung back to American Idol included more than 100,000 signatures by late February. Hung had become more famous than many American Idol contestants, despite being arguably one of the worst singers to grace the American Idol audition stage. His unconventional looks, good attitude, and eagerness despite poor singing won him many fans.

So, is Saregamapa really a singing contest? Why do these clowns in the forums think that the person with the most wonderful voice will win the title? Simply because their attitude is exactly similar to the people they are backing - one of arrogance and with no respect for popular opinion.

William Hung was not the only success. Very recently Sanjaya Malakar turned into an obsession - withot much vocal skills. As The Los Angeles Times explains that Sanjaya is the lightning rod of this year’s show, may be because “he’s such a good sport”.

“Although all idol contestants must suffer public judgment with a smile, Malakar’s grin seems to be that of an ingenuous, bewildered kid instead of a well-coached contestant. His flamboyance such as that surprise Trojan-helmet-like ‘ponyhawk’ hairstyle is tempered by a timidity rarely seen on national TV,” the paper said in the editorial.

Back home there have been similar stories. Ravindra Ravi on Indian Idol kept getting
 votes just because the judges were gunning after him. Qazi on Fame Gurukul simply vanquished all competition without any real singing skills.

So how do these guys manage to pull it off? Simply because it is not about singing - they had an attitude that people fell in love with.

And that should explain Raja Hasan’s success to date. It simply is pure humilty at work. In an age where success sweeps everyone off their feet, (Look at Himesh as an example) Raja has his feet firmly on the ground. So no matter what others do, as long as it is public opinion, Raja will continue to be the king. Unless he himself messes it up with new-found arrogance.

And of course, Raja Hasan is a lot more than William Hung. He can sing, he can dance and he knows how to win hearts.